TO THE CHAPTER INVISIBLE
John Daniel Singleton 1968–2019 Acclaimed Film Director wit and passion for chronicling the Black American experience has marked him as one of the most successful and beloved writers, directors and producers of his generation. Singleton commented about himself. “It’s cool for me because I’m a director, but I’m also a teacher. I’m a lover of cinema, and I love working with people who are hungry and have the energy to really do better work.” Brother John Singleton entered the Chapter Invisible on April 29, 2019 at the age of 51 after a stroke brought on by complications with hypertension. Singleton’s friend and fellow fame film maker Spike Lee commented on his social media account after hearing the news of Brother Singleton’s passing. “I will forever miss my brother John Single- ton. We met while he was a film student at University of Southern California (USC). Over the years, people have told me ‘I’m going to be a film maker.’ When John said that to me the first time we met, I believed him right away. It was no surprise; with his heart…We remained close over the decades, cheering each other on in this industry that is not set up for us to win. John Singleton’s films will
by Thomas L. Cunningham IV and Aaron Williams
W ith his landmark debut film “Boyz N the Hood” in 1991, Brother John Singleton (Beta Omega 1987) made film history as the first African American and the youngest-ever Academy Award nominee for Best Direc- tor. The film was a critical and com- mercial success that the United States Library of Congress deemed it “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and deemed the film for preservation in the National Film Registry. In the years since Boyz N the Hood, Singleton directed such films with Poetic Justice (1993), Higher Learning (1995), Rosewood (1997), a remake of Shaft (2000), Baby Boy (2001), 2 Fast 2 Furi- ous (2003), Four Brothers (2005), and his final film, Abduction (2011). Singleton’s films opened doors for numerous African American actors and entertainers such as Ice Cube, Janet Jackson, Tupac Shukar, Tyrese Gibson, Morris Chestnut, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Regina King. A student of film history, Singleton was a creative visionary who built on the legacy of his predecessors while paving the way for countless Black artists. His intelligence,
live forever.”
John Daniel Singleton was born on Janu- ary 6, 1968, in Los Angeles, CA. His mother was a pharmaceutical sales ex- ecutive, and his father, Danny Singleton, was a mortgage broker. He lived with his mother until he was 11 and then moved in with his father, on whom he based the character of Tre’s father (played by actor Laurence Fishburne) in the film Boyz N the Hood. He graduated from Pasadena CA’s Blair High School prior to attending Pasadena City College and University of Southern California (USC) where he graduated in 1990. Singleton’s passion for movie-making was apparent from childhood. In a televised interview, he noted, “From the back of [my mother’s] apartment, I could see the two screens of the drive-in. That drive-in showed Blaxploitation movies; it showed Kung Fu movies… I would sit and watch them out the window with no sound.” The experience created a fascination with telling stories using the power of images that led him all the way to film school. Before his acceptance to USC, Singleton was part of a prestigious pre-collegiate
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Publishing achievement for 105 years
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